While investigating why my Transit Connect was unlocked and robbed with no damage or alarm: I discovered that this is a common issue on Fords of this era with these type of keys / locks.

Mondeo, Focus, Fiesta, Transits, Ka (maybe more)up to about 2008 maybe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6APuLDEwsg

The only upside I can think of is that for £35 on amazon I can get a key and then I can get free pay and display parking! Oh and if stuck for a space it would be easy to undo the steering lock and push a Ford out of its space so that I could park there instead.

I’m not sure how you’d go about counteracting it to be honest.

And yes, it might be old news but it’ll give someone the chance to post up the video of the antelope hitting the mountain biker 😉

“I’m not sure how you’d go about counteracting it to be honest.”

True- but I was thinking something high voltage inside the lock. The pickers are 100% metal.

I accidentally opened the door on the wrong ford escort estate in a supermarket car park – key worked perfectly.

Old BL keys used to work in every car. Drop your mini clubman off drive home in a Herald.

There are still issues with more modern models. It’s why a good friend of mine makes a living putting deadlocks on ’em and proper alarms that don’t switch themselves off when someone unlocks the doors with a key (or pick).

Plant on site is the best! Huge huge amount stolen to order week in week out and they still bang out from the factory brand new jcbs etc with one key to start all 🙄

My mate also fits trackers to plant. 🙂

If they started making things secure he’d go out of business….

alarms that don’t switch themselves off when someone unlocks the doors with a key (or pick).

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I think that’s the Ford design flaw right there: once a mechanical device has told any of the door locks to open, all the electronic stuff just rolls over and asks for it’s tummy tickled.

Trackers are fried in seconds now apparently. Immobilisers are the best bet but again are worked round with a bit of time.

I think that’s the Ford design flaw right there: once a mechanical device has told any of the door locks to open, all the electronic stuff just rolls over and asks for it’s tummy tickled.

Yep, includes the immobiliser. Sad thing is, it’d be about £20 per vehicle to rectify it at factory level.

Luckily mine wasnt moved. But it’s not worth much.

But anyway, google shows that with a tibbe key and a laptop with an ODB reader I’m good to drive even if I’ve lost all my keys.

GPS jammers are readily available, so jamming a tracker is trivial, just plug a £20 jammer into the 12v lighter socket and the tracker is lost.

Fastest I’ve seen yet:22 secs.